TSW: The Knights of Mercy Shaken, Not Stirred

July 18, 2013

Okay. The Secret World team has seriously outdone themselves this time with the latest update Issue 7: A Dream to Kill. I know you’re all probably sick and tired by now of hearing me lament the fact that not more people are playing this gem of a game, but after experiencing this new update, I just gotta say it once again: Seriously! Why the hell aren’t more people playing this game?!?!?

Anywho, by now it’s clear that each update comes with a theme. For example, last issue was Last Train to Cairo, exuding major Indiana Jones vibes. And well, if Issue 6 was all “Indy”, then Issue 7 was all “Bond, James Bond”. It was just so awesome, I feel like I have to share.

Caveat: Here be spoilers! If you haven’t played Issue 7 yet and are planning to soon, you might want to skip this.

On Monday night, two groups of brave guildies from The Knights of Mercy gathered in Transylvania to start the mission chain. They say “Strength in numbers”, but I also say “Oh thank God I don’t have to go through this alone because this quest is creeping me the hell out!”

This? No, that’s not creepy at all!

And did I mention that I hate dolls? I never grew up with any, because they scared me. Those dolls with their glassy staring eyes, especially those that open and close them when you pick them up? GAH. Needless to say, there were some tough places for me in this issue. Dolls, dolls, dolls, everywhere. And when I see one sitting in the middle of a dark room surrounded by a haunting light and demonic looking circle, of course I just have to run up to check it out.

Pretty sure this is how a lot of horror movies start out.

It’s heartening to see that the TSW updates are still of such high quality, even in this tough economy when staff and resources might be more limited. Every issue has been solid so far, in terms of writing, voice work, cinematics, the whole shebang. There’s quite a while to wait between each release, but can you blame them? I’m just happy to know each issue is so well thought out and lovingly crafted; they really don’t skimp on the details, and that’s all a player can ask for.

Dude, relax, I just wanted to hug your bear. All you had to say was “no”.

The addition of snowmobiles for a section of this quest chain inevitably led my guildies and I into a discussion of the possibility of mounts or vehicles in TSW’s future. There were some ideas thrown around, like maybe we’ll one day be able to ride horses or scooters in game instead of sprinting everywhere at inhuman speeds. I personally liked the idea of Segways that someone suggested. I mean, how cool would that be?

Group shot with said snowmobiles.

This next pic confused me. It begs the question, why bother with a parachute when there isn’t even fall damage in this game? Granted, I suppose it would make for a much less dramatic leap from the exploding bridge.

Oh really? I didn’t know that the Tyler Freeborn stuff was so high as well. I was just telling someone what a shame that some of these newer issues are all in the higher zones, so new players won’t be able to hit them right away. It would definitely help draw in those who are just starting out.

When done with Egypt, Tyler Freeborn usually can also be done. And indeed, i think if your setup is rock-solid, i guess it could also be done at the end of Blue Mountains, but for the “normal” player, i’d advise to have at least QL8 green equipment, with QL10 being preferable. (Wouldn’t there be the tough fights in the last mission, Tyler Freeborn could all be done in a group, but everybody is alone in his/her own dream at the end. )

On the positive though: The last train to Cairo can completely be done in group, and as far as i remember, the only solo sequence in A dream to kill required brains but had no fights, so requirements are rather moderate on it. Being able to travel through all of Romanis and knowing it a bit is essential though, so for somebody still in Egypt, it’s not of use yet, that’s true.

Oh, and another thing, on the parachuting, that was answered by a Dev: the alternative is to jump down below the exploding bridge and be burried in the rubble. Your call. :D

Yep, Last Train to Cairo last quest can indeed be done in a group. We found that out in a humorous way. One of our group members was way ahead of us on the chain, so he’d started the last quest before us thinking it would be a solo instance. Imagine his surprise when we started popping up on his map once we’d gotten the quest too. At that point he’d already cleared out most of the train, so it was easy mode for the rest of us! But I did go back a week later to do it again, it was just too much stuff I missed ;-)

I envy you your guild – you seem to be great friends and have a wonderful time playing together. :) That’s what I’m looking for on this side of the pond!

On a side note: dolls are creepy as hell. When my daughter was small someone gave her a little-girl doll that was literally as tall as she was. She didn’t like it and asked if we could put it in the closet, and I remember looking at her thinking “Really? If I was your age I SO couldn’t sleep knowing that creepy-ass thing was hiding in my closet. I probably couldn’t sleep with it in my closet now, as an adult!” Haha…yeah, so the doll thing got to me.

Great issue, I really loved it. I actually got my husband to buy and play it just because he’s a Bond fan. :)